1:72 McDonnell F-3B/H Demon

The carrier-based Demon and its markings in 1:72 scale

Xtradecal made its name with British subjects, but it also issues sheets for American aircraft. This one belongs to the carrier-based Demon and is offered as a replacement for or a supplement to the decals that came with the kit. The package holds a printed sheet, not plastic.

A machine from the deck of an aircraft carrier

The Demon was a single-engined carrier fighter by McDonnell from the 1950s, following on from the earlier straight-wing naval jets and already given a markedly swept wing. Its development was dogged by trouble with the powerplant, but after it was re-engined with a stronger unit it settled down as an all-weather fighter able to carry guided missiles and to operate by day and by night. In 1962 the US Air Force and Navy introduced a unified designation system, and the aircraft, which until then had carried a type designation beginning with the abbreviation F3H, was redesignated into the F-3 series. That is precisely why you meet both forms of the designation together in the names of modeling products. The Demon was also the direct predecessor of the far more famous Phantom.

Painting and seating the markings

• The typical naval finish had a light gray upper surface and white undersides, and the transition calls for a sharp edge.
• Dark items line up easily on a white base; on gray a faint pencil reference mark helps.
• Small numbers in 1:72 scale fold easily, so transfer them onto the model together with the paper.
• Coat the finished model with satin varnish; a purely flat surface does not match the period photographs.

It will appeal to collectors of United States naval aviation from the period before the arrival of the Phantom.